Let me ask you this, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say” hacker”? Most possibly you will picture a guy sitting at a bus station typing out codes with ferocity on his ultra book and somewhere down the road, the entire server room of the FBI crashes. Well truth be told, Hollywood has considerably exaggerated this habit of certain individuals and in reality, hackers are people who just enjoy fiddling around with software source code and hardware gigs. Now, there are government organizations and high profile businesses that are always on the lookout for people who have this recreational interest. These types of hackers are aptly termed as ethical hackers. Yes, these people hack systems for a living. Now before you decide to embark on this career path (let’s face it, it is alluring and completely unorthodox), note down a few pointers.

Build an impressive skill set, even social skills

To make a substantial impact in your financial status by working in this field, you should be marketable. To get there, you will need relevant experience with various certifications under your belt. Getting a degree with computer major is also a very good idea as that will provide you with the exposure in the IT industry. Good thing is, once you have locked all these down and have got a significant professional experience, you can even work as a consultant.

Being an ethical hacker, you will need to communicate a lot, yes; you cannot pose as a loner with a laptop for company. Communication with different parties is the key here.For this, developing your soft skills will come in handy. A strong work ethic with people skills are some of tricks of the trade. Remember, if you are good communicator, you will be able to manipulate people to disclose credentials or execute files (for research/investigation purposes)

What kind of skills are we talking about?

This is a very important question. To be a professional hacker, you need to get the right certifications and get approved by the right organizations. Start with getting certification in technical support. This is pivotal as it reveals a lot of information s about systems, languages and how different portals and channels operate. Security certifications like CISSP, Security+, or TICSA are especially fruitful. Once you have this entire batch covered, move forward to get the ultimate certification- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification from the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants, also known as the EC-Council. This certification training module covers topics like viruses, Trojan horses, backdoors, denial of service attacks, system hacking, session hijacking.

Keep updating yourself:

Fields like ethical hacking are ever changing. That’s why keeping oneself updated is pertinent. If you are serious about the field, this will help you develop an edge over others. Reading materials offer valuable insights on the inner working of hacking, session hijacking and even gives a know-how about the industry itself.

Temptation can be a sin

Even ethical hacking can drag you down to the murky waters of system abuse. Why? Think about it, you have a sea of information about a client or even a competitor. Naturally, most people are tempted to explore which may lead to intruding networks without full permission, among other things. Instances like illegal hacking can do a lot of damage to your career, not to mention to chances of becoming a tax paying citizen of the country.

Bottom line is, resist the temptation. No information is permanently deleted, even if you cover your tracks, technology will catch up and it will reveal quite a bit about you. Be sensible and maintain the ethic quotient and it is assured that this career path will take you forward.